Blog

The Report to CEO is your recommendation to top management. Be sure the Report to CEO is a useful decision-making tool, based on facts. It should persuade top management to act on the recommendation. The use of headings and sub-headings will help organize your discussion and focus the reader’s attention. Headings should have a consistent style. The Report to the CEO should include the following sections and headings: Report Body Introduction—5 marks • Introduce the industry, the company, its current strategy and the issue you identified at the end of the Appendix. Establish the scope of the Report. Don’t include a lot of background material. An introduction of no more than 150 words is sufficient. Analysis– 15 marks (1 page) • This is the heart of the Report where the issue is analysed. • Identify the issue more fully. Demonstrate its importance by examining the factors that contributed to the issue and how they relate to strategy. • Include only relevant and significant background information that supports the issue identified. • Be sure to support your analysis by referencing specific data from your Appendix. This can be accomplished by inserting the number from the appendix identifying the section referred to (your Appendix will use numbered headings, and the numbered heading will be sufficient for your reference). For example, if you reference something from section 2.1 of your Appendix, then you place (2.1) immediately after the fact you are referencing from the Appendix. Do not reference case material directly; if there is an important fact from the case you would like to include in your analysis, that fact should be included in your Appendix. If you want to include facts from the case in your analysis, they must be added to the Appendix. • Using facts referenced from the Appendix, convince the reader that the issue you identified needs to be dealt with by management. Alternatives– 15 marks ( 1 page) • Identify three alternatives for management’s consideration to address the issue identified. • Include a brief discussion of each alternative, clearly identifying each alternative with sufficient detail that it is clearly specific to the case. • Identify the pros and cons for each alternative. Refer to relevant material from the analysis and the Appendix (remember to reference the Appendix if you use facts from the 11 BUS800 Case Analysis Guidelines Appendix), including the financial feasibility or implications for each alternative. Use point form for you Pro/Con analysis. • Be critical in the Cons section of your discussion. Management needs to assess both the pros and the cons of the alternative. • A clear and convincing rationale for your recommendation should emerge from your analysis of the alternatives. • Don’t use trivial alternatives; each alternative should be strategic and executable. Recommendation– 20 marks (1 page) Make a recommendation. Your recommendation must be actionable, realistic, and in line with company resources. It must be strategic and have a reasonable chance of leading the company to success. Please include the following: • Summarize the support for your recommendation. Illustrate how your recommendation will address the issue identified as the major issue facing the company. • Discuss how your selected strategy fits with the external/internal variables, especially with the financial resources. • Discuss how your strategy will achieve a competitive advantage and enhanced profitability over time. • Discuss why you did not pursue the other alternatives keeping in mind the pros and cons you identified for each. • Discuss why the con you identified for your recommended alternative can be mitigated.